Rajma(Red Kidney Beans)

Rajma is a very popular dish from Punjab. It is the Red Kidney Beans made in curry; most commonly relished with hot rice. Listing of Delhi’s roadside food would go incomplete without the Rajma chawal (rice) plate served at each corner.
Ingredients:
2 Cups Rajma (soaked in water overnight)
3 cups water
3large onions (Finely chopped)
2sp ginger paste
½ sp garlic paste
½ sp Cumin seeds
1sp Turmeric powder
1 sp red Chilli powder
2 sp Coriander powder
½ sp Amchur Powder (dried ground raw mangoes powder)
2large Tomatoes (grated)
Salt to taste
Method:
Keep the soaked rajma for boiling in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. Take a pan and heat oil add the garlic paste and ginger paste to it then add the cumin seeds when crackle add the onions .Fry them till turn golden brown. Add the rest of the masala (spices) one by one and finally add the tomatoes. Stir fry for 5 mins. Put the boiled rajma to it and add salt. Let it simmer for 10 mins when the gravy starts thickening serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Chicken Makhani/ Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is a yummy delicacy belonging to the capital of India- Delhi or Dilli as we call it.
It is exotically prepared by marinating it overnight in rich spices and oodles of butter. Butter chicken is a package of lot of calories. It is not for you if you are dieting. So forget the Gym for a day and enjoy the recipe.

Ingredients:
800 Gms Chicken Pieces (boneless)
For Marination:
3 cups Curd/ yoghurt
3 sp onion paste
2sp ginger paste
2 sp garlic paste
1 sp lime juice
1tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
For the Gravy:
5 Large tomatoes parboiled and grated
½ cup white Butter
¼ cup fresh cream/malai
½ sp cumin seeds
½sp fennel seeds
½sp red chilli powder
1sp green Chillies (finely chopped)
½ sp sugar
For Garnish:
Finely chopped green coriander leaves
1 sp fresh cream
Method:
Mix all the ingredients of marination put the pieces of chicken in it and mix well so that each piece gets coated properly. Keep it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours so that it becomes soft.
Take a pan and put 3 sp of butter and add the pieces of chicken and fry them till done.
Take another pan and heat the butter. Add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, red chilli powder,
green chillies and tomatoes. Put the chicken pieces when stars leaving oil. Add the cream, sugar and salt.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and cream when serving.

Paneer(Cottage Cheese) in Mughlai Gravy

Ingredients:
400 gm paneer
4Large tomatoes
1 onion chopped
¼ sp turmeric powder
½ sp red chilli powder
2 pinch sugar
1 sp Kasoori Methi
4 sp oil

For Stuffing:
100 gm paneer
1sp crushed Cashwenuts
1 sp raisins
1 sp coriander leaves chopped finely
salt sugar

Paste of:
4 cloves garlic
½ inch ginger
¼ sp cardamom powder

Method:
For Stuffing:
Grate the paneer and add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Put the tomatoes in hot water for 15 mins.Take out the skin and grate them .Cut the paneer into 1 inch sized pieces. Sandwich the paneer slices with the stuffings.Heat the oil in a pan and lightly
Fry the stuffed paneer paneer slices on both sides. Remove the paneer .In the same oil fry the onions till golden brown. Add the garlic ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and sugar .Fry again for 5 mins. Add the tomatoes, kasoori methi and salt and fry for a while. Put the paneer pieces in the gravy and simmer for 10 mins. Serve piping hot garnished with tomato slices , split green Chillies and fresh coriander leaves.

Lucknowi Malai Kofta Curry( Veg/NV Balls in Curry)

Koftas are actually vegetable or meat balls in a spicy curry. They can be made with potatoes filled with a mix of veggies or paneer or cheese or any other vegetable grated and bound by corn flour. This is healthy and nutritious for children who run away from greens.

Ingredients:

For Koftas:
6 medium sized boiled potatoes (mashed)
2 sp corn flour
½ cup bread crumbs
½ tsp salt

For Stuffing:
1 cup grated paneer
2sp Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
Chaat masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste.

(Paneer can be alternated with a mix of finely grated cabbage,cauliflower,carrot, peas and capsicum sautéd in 1sp oil on low heat.)

Koftas can be made with 400 gms of minced meat with 2 sp garlic , ginger and Chillies paste and salt added to it. That makes it a Non-Vegetarian dish.

For The Gravy:

500 Gms onion (finely chopped)
20 cloves garlic (finely grated)
2 inch piece ginger (finely grated)
2 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
300 gms tomatoes (grated)1cup ghee / butter
1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp degi mirch powder
1tsp coriander powder
4 bay leaves
2 cups water
2sp garam masala powder
½ cup fresh cream/malaiSalt to Taste

Method:

Add the corn flour and salt to the mashed potatoes and prepare neat dough. Make small size balls from it and keep aside. Prepare the stuffing’s by mixing all the ingredients. Take one prepared ball and spread it on your palm put the stuffing inside it and again cover it. Repeat this process with each of the balls. Roll them in the bread crumbs. Now deep fry them on slow heat. Koftas are ready.

Take 2 sp oil in a pan add the garlic and ginger to it. Then put the onions and fry till golden brown. Add green Chillies, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, degi mirch, coriander powder, bay leaves and tomatoes. Stir fry till starts leaving the oil Add the peanut powder and fry for 2 mins. Add the malai and garam masala.. Add water and let it simmer on low heat for few mins.
Serve hot with the Koftas. Garnish with coriander leaves and fresh cream.

Rogan Josh (Kashmiri Lamb Curry)

Rogan Josh (Kashmiri Lamb Curry)
Rogan Josh is an aromatic delicacy from Kashmir. Rogan means “oily layer” and josh means” passion” that can be read as meat cooked red in butter. How it got its name as Rogan Josh is still a mystery. It was brought to India by the Mughals and was specially cooked in Kashmir with lots of Kesar .
Ingredients:
500 Gms leg of lamb (cut into big pieces)
300 gms onion (finely chopped)
12 cloves garlic (finely grated)
50 gms ginger (finely grated)
4 green chilies (chopped)250gms tomatoes (grated) 2-3 grains of Kesar( Saffron) soaked in 1cup milk
1cup ghee / butter
2 tsp cashew nut paste 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp degi mirch powder
1tsp coriander powder
4 bay leaves
2 cups water Salt to Taste
a)1 inch cinnamon
b) 3cardamoms
c) 6 cloves
d) 1tsp whole black pepper
all coarsely grounded
To Marinate:1cup Yoghurt 1sp ginger-garlic paste salt
To Garnish : Chopped coriander leaves

Method:
Wash the pieces of lamb thoroughly in running water. Take a big dish and pour the yoghurt ginger garlic paste and salt and keep it to marinate for 2hours.
Heat a vessel and put 2big spoons of butter /ghee ; add garlic to it once turns reddish add ginger and then finely chopped onions and the cumin seeds. Fry till golden brown add the grounded garam masala. Put the marinated Lamb to it and let it fry for some time till turns little dry. In another vessel take a sp of butter add all the spices one by one and finally the tomatoes. Fry till starts leaving the ghee then pour this mixture over the meat. Add the saffron along with the milk and cashwenuts paste, stir fry for 5 mins. Add water and salt. Let it cook for 20 mins. Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander leaves with hot chapattis or pulav.

Shahi Matar Paneer (Green Peas n’ Cottage cheese in Gravy)

We start with the most popular and relished Indian curry of North India. This is synonymous with the Mughals who ruled India for a long time. Their culinary practice was rich and unique hence forth the name Shahi Matar Paneer.
Ingredients:
450gms shelled Matar (green peas) 250gms Paneer
2 medium onions (finely chopped) 8 cloves garlic (grated)1 tbsp ginger( grated) 2 green chilies (chopped)250gms tomatoes (grated)Salt To Taste 1cup fresh cream/ Malai
2 tsp cashew nut paste 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp degi mirch powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tspGaram masala grounded coarsely 4 bay leaves 2 cups water 1/2 cup ghee / vegetable oil To Garnish : Chopped coriander leaves

Method:
Cut the paneer into 1-inch cubes. Heat the ghee in a frying pan. Fry the paneer light brown and remove to drain on a plate. Add the grated garlic to the ghee in the pan, then add ginger to it and finally the onions. Fry them till golden brown. Add the bay leaves and garam masala to it. Stir fry for a while. Add cumin seeds, turmeric powder, chili powder, coriander powder and degi mirch to the mixture. Once the ghee starts separating add grated tomatoes, cream and cashew nut paste to it. Add the paneer and mutter (peas) and fry it in the gravy. Add water and let it simmer till peas are done. Serve garnished with fresh coriander leaves and cream.

Exotic Indian Curries

Indian Curries are famous all over the world. The word ‘curry’ is derived from a Tamil word ‘kari’ which means spicy sauce.They are prepared with a measured blend of dried spices and oil.
India has been known as aland of spices and Curries from ages. A wave of settlers from Aryans to the present era each one brought their own blend of spices and way of cooking to make a unique dish.. Most of the Indian curries include spices like cinnamon, cardamom, clove, pepper, black salt, etc. These curries are relished with variety of chapattis , naan , pulav, rice or even with bread. Each region of India has its own speciality. Some Indian curries are listed hence forth.

Aloo Ka Bharta

INGREDIENTS
Boiled Potatoes (Big) 4-5 Onion (finely chopped) 2 Green Chilies (chopped) 2 Coriander Leaves (chopped) A few Mustard Oil 1 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder 1/2 tsp Jeera (roasted and powdered) 1/2 tsp
Method
Peel the potatoes and mash them coarsely. Add all the other ingredientsand mix well.
Mainly to be served with Baati.
Serves: 6-7 adults.

Hari Chutney

Ingredients:
100 gm Fresh Corriander Leaves
50 gms Fresh Curry Leaves
50 gms thick curd
1 Medium Size Tomato
5-6 cloves garlic
3 green Chillies
1 inch piece ginger
1tsp Black Salt
1 tsp roasted Jeera Powder
salt according to taste
Method:
Wash all the ingredients except the spices and put them into the mixer add salt and grind till forms a thick paste. Add a dash of Lemon juice if required.